Weather scrambles AAC, Big 12 softball tourney schedules
Heavy rains throughout the week forced the cancellation of the American Athletic Conference softball tournament.
The conference made the decision Saturday night, citing “a continuous pattern of inclement weather” and unplayable field conditions at the University of Houston’s Cougar Field.
No tournament champion will be declared. No. 1 South Florida, as the highest remaining seed in the tournament, will receive the AAC’s automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.
That means Houston (37-17) must wait to learn if it receives an at-large bid when the entire 64-team field is announced at 8 p.m. Sunday on ESPN2.
UH led its opening round game against Connecticut 3-2 in the fifth inning when rain suspended the tournament. The Cougars finished the regular season on a roll, winning 11 of their final 13 games and are 39thin the most recent NCAA RPI.
“I think if you look at our resume, this year and last year we are a competitive program,” UH coach Kristin Vesely said. “Just that we get the shot (to play in the postseason). Everybody has a chance once you get there.”
Three first-round games were completed at the time rain suspended play on Thursday. Continuous bands of rain over the Houston metro area did not let up, eventually claiming the completion of the UH-UConn game, two semifinal games and Sunday’s scheduled 10 a.m. championship game. Rain cancels Big 12’s tournament plans
Heavy rains overnight in the Oklahoma City area forced the cancellation of Friday night’s Oklahoma-Kansas suspended game and all of Saturday’s Big 12 Championship schedule at the USA Hall of Fame Stadium.
Since all pool play games were not finished, the Big 12’s automatic bid to the NCAA Softball Championship will go to the team who won the Big 12 regular-season championship.
No. 1 Oklahoma will receive the automatic bid after completing regular-season play with an 18-0 record. TSU eliminates Prairie View Prairie View A&M was eliminated from the 2019 SWAC Championship in the final round, falling to Texas Southern 5-3 at the Barbara Williams Softball Complex at Prairie View to close out the Lady Panthers season.
The Lady Panthers posted the best overall win record of 30 wins in the history of the program. Big late inning lifts Houston over Tulane
Jared Triolo delivered a tiebreaking, two-run double as part of a five-run eighth inning to send the University of Houston to a 12-7 win over Tulane in Game 1 of a baseball doubleheader at Schroeder Park.
Triolo went 3-for-5 with three RBIs and Derrick Cherry had three hits, including a solo home run in the third inning,
Tulane third baseman Kody Hoese hit a pair of home runs — giving him a nation-tying 23 this season — with three RBIs. His solo shot in the seventh gave Tulane a 7-6 lead. Tyler Bielamowicz tied the game with a RBI single in the bottom of the inning, and the Cougars exploded for five runs in the inning. Kravetz, Rice blank Southern Mississippi
Evan Kravetz struck out 10 as Rice’s baseball team cruised past Conference USA leader Southern Mississippi to end a five-game losing streak in a 4-0 shutout at Reckling Park.
“Kravetz was just spectacular tonight,” coach Matt Bragga said. “It’s great to see a shutout, I think it might’ve been our first of the year.” Indeed it was. Kravetz, now 5-2 on the season, allowed just three hits and four walks in 71⁄3 innings.
The win puts Rice (22-28, 13-13) back at .500 in conference play with five games remaining in the regular season. Texas A&M falls short at Alabama
Texas A&M’s baseball team dropped a 2-1 decision at Alabama as the Crimson Tide evened the series.
Aggie starter Asa Lacy (7-4) was ejected by home plate umpire Ryan Broussard with one out in the bottom of the fifth inning and took the loss.
Texas A&M dropped to 33-18-1 overall and 13-12-1 in SEC play. Alabama improved to 29-22 overall and 7-19 in league action.